The American magazine Parade asked Obama, who, as we all know "is also a devoted family man", "to get personal" and tell them "what he wants for his children". So he did.

"Dear Malia and Sasha," the letter begins. "I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have.

"But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart."

Obama goes on to describe how his daughters – with their "curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day" – changed his view of the world.

"I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours," he writes. "And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfilment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for president: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation."

So what does the president want for the kids of America?

"I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential – schools that challenge them, inspire them and instil in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college – even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs."

He explains how his grandmother taught him that "America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better – and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us."

These girls had better put their High School Musical DVDs to one side, because they have got WORK to do. "I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had," writes their father. "Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much – although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself." No pressure girls, just do your best.

He ends: "I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House." He signs off: "Love, Dad".

Our friends across the pond are known to be a little more sentimental then ourselves – or perhaps more adept at expressing their emotions. So instead of greeting the letter with the cynicism that might have accompanied a similar initiative from the Browns and Camerons of our world, the blogosphere seems to have responded with a mass cooing.

Noah Stephenson, a Democrat from Salt Lake City, says it is "reflective of something we all, regardless of partisan affiliation, hope for – a better future for our kids" while the Huffington Post asks: "See if you can get through it without tearing up a little".